Life after the Reaper 1 - Shepard
by Servala
Summary: the war is over and they start to build up their life. The settled on a beautiful small colony with some of her friends and everything could be just normal...
1. Home Sweet Home

Liara woke up early that morning. She was alone. Shepard had already spent two weeks away with the Normandy, but would return at some point later in the day. Liara sighed, she was reluctant as to staying alone in these days. Her daughter would be born in less than two months and Liara wanted Shepard to be around. She got up and put only a thin robe of light blue silk over her yellow pajamas. She loved this light, thin fabric from earth, which had been given to her by Ashley as her wedding gift. Then, Liara walked slowly down to the first floor of their house.

They lived on a colony near Thessia. This was too small and insignificant and therefore had been hardly destroyed by the Reapers. Shepard had fallen in love with the colony and suggested that they should live there. There was a small settlement nearby and some of their friends, such as Ashley, along with her family and Dr. Chakwas had followed them. Their house - in the style of an earthly log cabin - stood on a small hill, which led into a lake and even on cold days the temperature did not fall below twenty degrees.

Liara strolled through the open living room and opened the two large glass doors to the porch and her garden. She enjoyed the sight of colorful flowers. It reminded her of her childhood, the visits to the park with her mother. She felt peaceful and satisfied, but interrupted her thoughts after a few minutes and went into the kitchen. She took a glass of water, went over and sat down at her terminal and scanned the received reports. She had transferred most of her duties as Shadow Broker to Feron, but she still enjoyed the work. It distracted her when Jane was on the Normandy. To revive the network of her agents again had been a huge challenge, but it was worth it. Once more, all important and at first glance unimportant information and secrets ran through her fingers. Feron had initially refused, but then realized that Liara alone could not cope with it and that it was too dangerous for her now that she had a family. It was better that way, especially since she knew that this way her friend was safe and not rushing headlong into reckless action.

Liara looked at one of the clocks. She had received no news of Shepard yet and she was restless. What if she did not come back today? When would the Normandy be ordered to travel to another sector to disable last Cerberus or Reaper troops? She shook her head to banish the thought. If that had been so, she would have discovered it this morning through her sources. Much more likely, Jane just wanted to surprise her. She leaned back and closed her eyes. It was ridiculous, but she was worried. So she got up and went back into the kitchen.

Her original idea had been to make a cake, but as she stood over the ingredients, she doubted herself. She was better in digging and managing ruins or information. Cooking and baking were not necessarily her strengths and most of the times she also ended up breaking something in the kitchen.

She picked up her datapad and looked skeptically between the ingredients in front of her and the pad, back and forth. Sarah, one of Ashley's sisters, had actually shown her how to do it, on top of giving her a guide, and it did not sound so difficult: Mix the ingredients, put them in a tin form and place it in oven. Really quite simple, until the eggs fell down, the flour package exploded and smoke came out of the oven, even though she had only just turned it on.

Jane Shepard rejoiced to come home to Liara after those boring missions. The Normandy, as the ship which had led the battle for Earth and against the Reapers, had become a diplomatic ship. It was a symbol of victory and hope. Their task was to bring the new established Council to different planets and a little posing around for the press.

After the battles of the last years nobody complained about these diplomatic flights, she enjoyed it enough, but in truth Shepard had had enough. She would have to leave Liara again in a week for one last mission. Nervously, she bit her lower lip as she thought that Liara would not react that well. Shepard was hoping the little Prothean artifact that she had found on Illium off a black market dealer would distract Liara and comfort her.

As soon as she opened the door she heard a loud bang, coming from the kitchen. She quickened her pace, slid through the open door and got a little out of balance, so she grabbed the door frame. Liara was standing with her back to Jane and she was surrounded by a blue glow, shrugging her shoulders and holding her head down. Above her hung a small singularity, from which flour was steadily falling down like snow.

Liara must have heard her, because she turned around slowly. In her azure blue eyes gleamed pure desperation. As their eyes met tears started to run down her cheeks.

Shepard walked up to her and gently wiped them away. "Hey," she murmured softly and gave a gentle kiss on her wife's forehead. Liara said nothing, instead only clinging close to Shepard. As the singularity collapsed, it was raining flour, eggs and chocolate chips on them and Liara broke into tears again. Shepard hugged her, patting her on the back and murmuring words of comfort, till Liara had recovered.

"Hey," she mumbled into Shepard's shoulder. "I dare not ask, but what exactly did you want to do here?" A shiver went through Liara and she mumbled something that sounded like a cake. Shepard had to clear her throat to not start laughing. She picked up Liara in her arms and carried the Asari toward the bathroom.

Jane carefully put Liara on the floor outside the shower and took off her clothes. "This is not how I had imagined coming home," she whispered in Liara's right ear. "So, did you...?," Shepard did not answer, she was busy dedicating her attention to the soft skin on Liara's neck with her lips. Liara inhaled trembling, and leaned against Shepard, her breath quickened.

Once Jane realized that Liara had relaxed, she turned on the water in the shower and gently pushed her underneath the stream. She did not even notice that she was still dressed as she carefully soaped up her wife.

Liara turned and clung to Jane, and both sank into a deep kiss. She had missed Shepard so much and that she still wasn´t able to feel her skin was almost tearing her apart.

Liara unbuttoned the heavy uniform jacket, threw it to the floor and sighed in frustration. The thin white shirt let her see Shepard's soft skin, but it clung tightly to her and Liara wasn't able to get Jane naked. Moreover, it was now so tight that she wasn't even able to get underneath it with her hands. Frustrated, she groaned and leaned her forehead against Shepard.

Jane ran her fingers over the soft skin between Liara's hair tentacles and started another kiss. She was glad she could bring Liara to other thoughts. She pushed Liara against the wall of the shower and deepened the kiss, while her hands were walking other Liara's body.

When they left the shower after fifteen minutes Shepard felt happy and relaxed, and Liara was beaming again too. They put on fresh, comfortable clothes, and returned to the kitchen, where a Mech had already cleaned up the mess. Jane took the datapad with the recipe, looked at it and threw an astonished look to Liara. "How far were you able to make it?" She asked confused, because it was a really simple version of an earthly chocolate cake.

She quickly took care of the oven and then stirred the ingredients together effortlessly. Not ten minutes later the dough was in the cake-tin in the oven and was ready to bake. Liara had said nothing during all that time, but had watched her with interest. "Was it Sarah that brought up the idea?" Liara nodded. "It looked easy when she was doing it." Shepard grinned. "Do not worry, no one is saying that the largest information broker also needs to bake." Liara gave her a disgruntled look.

"Oh, I brought you something." She hurried toward the door, where she had dropped her bag and pulled out the box with the artifact. She gave Liara the package, "A black market dealer wanted to sell it, and I promised the authorities to bring it to an expert." Liara took the fragment and turned it around in her hands. Then she looked at Shepard's eyes and sighed. "You have to leave again?" Shepard felt horrible, she felt like she had been caught and she felt bad, as Liara lowered her head. "Li .." she wanted to start, but Liara only looked sadly to her and tears shone again in her eyes. It was embarrassing for Liara, but at the end of her pregnancy almost everything brought her to tears.

Shepard cursed. "Look, it will only be a few days and just in a week," she began softly and Liara nodded, but didn't look up, she only turned the stone-strewn artifact in her hands. "After that I will stay at least half of a SOL - year and then you'll be glad, to get rid of me for a few days." Liara laughed and nodded. The nice atmosphere was gone. "How did you ..?" Liara gave her an angry look. "Notice? You always come home with a Prothean artifact if you think I will not like something!" Shepard winced at the sound and Liara ran a hand over her face. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "It´s just... I miss you..."

Shepard walked closer and hugged her. "I know, honey, I miss you too." She gave Liara a kiss on her cheek. She would not tell her that this was her last mission for the Alliance. Liara would not ask her to leave the military, she knew, but she had had enough. The service seemed to her to be only a nuisance and she longed for peace and her family. She had passed the necessary papers already to Admiral Hackett and he had not been happy about it. When she wanted to hand over her dog tags, she had thought for a moment that he would hit her. Yet one last mission, and then she would retire. When she looked at Liara, which seemed lost in studying her gift without real interest, she knew it was the right decision.


	2. Accident

Karen Chakwas hadn't regretted her resignation from the Alliance for a single moment. Not after her experiences on Earth and during the last war. What she would have never imagined was that she would live on an Asari colony, at any given moment in life. Commander Shepard had personally asked, almost begged her, and how could she refuse her this wish. No, she did not regret it. She lived in a small house, including a garden, she took care of the few inhabitants of the colony and was writing a book.

Currently, she only had one patient and that was Liara. She liked to take care of the Asari and not just because Shepard had asked her. She liked Liara since their first meeting on the Normandy, after Therum, and she was always amazed how the little shy scientist had developed. This morning she had an appointment with her and she grabbed some things that she hoped she would not need to use. The due date was not for another two months, but she felt better prepared.

The husk pursued her and in the distance Liara heard the screech of more Banshees. She should hide, she was running as fast as she could, but there was no place she could go to. She was on a field, the soil had turned into red mud, and with every step she sank in deeply. In the distance a barn appeared and she turned in that direction until she slid down a slope. She slid into a dead Krogan. Liara knew that he was dead. He had an enormous bullet wound, but he opened his eyes, looked at her. "Now you belong to us!" His lips moved and twisted into a cold grin.

Liara got up to her feet, she screamed, but nobody heard. She turned around on the field, but there was no way out left, she was surrounded, and the circle was closing tightly. Then the Banshees formed a corridor and she saw her mother. Benezia coming to her, she floated over the grass stubble of the field. "Finally, finally, you belong to us." While she approached Liara, she changed and when she reached Liara, she had also become a Banshee, only her eyes resembled her mother.

Liara screamed as she awoke and it took her a moment to understand that it had only been a dream, and that she was safe. The sweat ran streaming down her face and she was shaking so hard that she ground her teeth together. Another nightmare. She ran her hand across her forehead, trying to calm down. The longer Shepard was not with her, the worse it got and at the moment she didn´t sleep through the night. She put her hand on her stomach and took several deep breaths before she got up.

She had fallen asleep on the sofa in the living room and it took only a few steps to the kitchen, where she picked up a glass of water. But she was shaking too much and when she heard a noise at the door, she screamed again and let it fall.

When Dr. Chakwas got no answer to her ringing, she opened the door and entered the house. There was no reason for a guilty conscience, because it wasn't the first time it happened. She heard the splintering of glass in the kitchen, this too wasn´t happening for the first time, and she went there. Liara looked terrible. Her skin was almost gray and she looked down on the pieces at her feet.

Karen went to her, touched her arm lightly and Liara jumped immediately. Her eyes seemed to come back from a far distance. She recognized the doctor and gave her an insecure smile. "Sit down." She led the Asari from the kitchen into the living room and pushed her into a chair. "Another nightmare?" Liara nodded.

"Sweetheart, you need to talk about it." She examined Liara and as expected, the stress level was high, but the unborn child was fine. "I cannot." Dr. Chakwas sat down across from her and took her hands. "We have seen all terrible things that no one should ever see, and you were often directly in the middle of the action." Liara's eyes darkened at the memory. "I do not know anyone, neither soldier nor doctor, nor a civilian who hasn't had nightmares of these horrors." She waited a moment until she had Liara's attention back again. "But you have to talk about it, it's not good for you and not good for the child." Liara withdrew her hand and placed it protectively on her stomach. In her eyes shone pure fear.

"If you do not want to talk to me, or with Shepard, maybe with another Asari?" Liara shook her head. She just did not like to think about these dreams that returned almost every night. She did not have them when Shepard was there, and Shepard would be back in three days. "Think about my words, or I'm talking to matriarch Aethyta." Liara was dull and she had the distinct feeling that Karen was not kidding. "I'm thinking about it," she said lamely.

Shepard was in the communications room of the Normandy and almost gritted her teeth. "Yes, sir," she answered to Admiral Hackett and saluted him before he broke the connection. She cursed softly to herself. There had been an attack by slavers on one of the last colonies of Volus and the Normandy was the only ship nearby. She leaned her head against the cool wall of the room and gave Joker instructions to bring them down. Get in, save the colonists, get out. She put together a team, Ashley and James, and launched the shuttle.

How things change when having a pregnant Asari waiting at home, she thought. She checked the weapon and then pushed away all other thoughts. She was made for this job and in the recent years she had hardly done anything else. They left the shuttle and ran in the direction of the little settlement. The enemy troops had driven the group of Volus there.

They dealt with the attackers quickly, but one female Volus refused to let herself get evacuated. She therefore pleaded that they should search for her daughter, who was hiding in the building behind them. "Ash, you get the people out with the shuttle, I look for the child." Shepard saw that Ashley didn´t like the command, but yet she was the commanding officer. "In thirty minutes, you pick me up again!" She slapped Ashley's shoulder and jogged toward the house.

The commander listened as the shuttle lifted off and then it was strangely quiet, no wind, no animals, nothing produced a sound. She pushed the door and climbed over some boxes in the interior. She called the child's name in a low voice, but there was no answer. Shepard was hoping that it was just too scared. But her hopes were disappointed.

She found the child in a completely ruined suit. She let her head hang for a moment and in her mind the picture changed and she saw a little Asari in front of her. Shepard knelt and checked the vital signs, she found that she would owe her at least that.

Later, she could not say whether it had been years of instinct or something else. She looked up and saw in the rear area a display slowly counting down. Ten, nine, Shepard turned and ran towards the exit, jumped over a cover. A huge explosion tore the house behind her. As much as she tried, she lost her footing and slid into the abyss which opened beneath her, before the remains of the building collapsed on top of her.


	3. Ruins

Shepard fell a few meters in absolute darkness until her back hit hard on the ground. Under her hands she felt cold stone. It took her a moment to collect herself, and check her body functions. She felt her equipment. First, her precision rifle dug painfully into her side. It was luckily not destroyed, and more so she had a gun and four grenades with her. She had emergency provisions, so she would not starve to death in the next days at least, unless she ran out of air to breathe. She cursed for not wearing her helmet, on this mission she had opted for the Visor, the faint light of which could not light up the small area. Shepard tried to radio the Normandy, or the landing party, but got only static as a response. The debris over her and the e-Zero deposits in the soil apparently prevented communication.

Shepard turned on her knees and ran her hands over the surrounding cave. Not much bigger than her in length, width and height. She began to panic. She could feel the sweat running down her forehead and her heart raced. Buried alive. She knew that the shuttle had to have seen the explosion and Ashley would do everything to find her. She felt, however, that her chances were next to zero if she could not find her own way.

Shepard sat down with her back against the wall, fighting for a calm pulse in order not to consume too much oxygen and she closed her eyes. Her thoughts drifted back home to Liara and naked fear crept down her spine. Before her she saw the little Volus girl again. Her suit had been pierced by a piece of falling roof. Had she been scared in her last moments? Certainly. Shepard hardly dared imagine how it must have been for her mother to send away her daughter and not knowing how she was doing.

The faces blurred and she saw the large, azure eyes of Liara. They were wide with fear. She heard Liara's voice, she was begging to look after her daughter, to find her and bring her back. Before the explosion there had been no time to think about it. Her mind had turned to her job leaving the shuttle. But now it was chasing one horrible scenario after the next through her head.

Oh God, Liara. Shepard felt her stomach clench. In the standard procedure Hackett would have to give notice to her in at least one hour. Let her know that there had been an accident, that Shepard was buried under a collapsed building. Hopefully she was not alone, Shepard prayed. She felt her cheeks were wet and hung her head. She thought back to the moment of their parting two days ago.

Liara never asked for anything for herself, never. But this one time she had almost begged her to stay. Shepard felt that Liara was concerned with something, but she had been requested in person for this last order. Liara's gaze was broken as a result of the discussion. She had nodded, hugged Shepard and then she was gone without a second glance, back into the house.

Shepard felt her heart squeezing. She rubbed over her chest.

Then the floor opened underneath her and she fell again.

Doctor Chakwas left Liara back in the living room and went into the kitchen to put together a breakfast for the Asari. She was worried, she contacted matriarch Aethyta and asked her to stop by later that day at her daughter's. Aethyta, as one of the last old matriarchs, had been asked to join the new government, but had refused. They had not listened to her before the war, and she doubted that anyone would listen to her now. She headed the administration of the colony and run the bar for fun. Therefore it took not even a quarter of an hour until she arrived at Liara´s house.

"Child, you can talk to me, I'm here!" Aethyta had talked for a while now to Liara. It looked terrible. Now everyone went through a pregnancy differently and she herself had experienced some where she had emotionally gone through hell, but her daughter looked like she would break down at any moment.

"There is nothing," Liara answered her simply, once again, and she felt irritated. "And you've got more important issues, don´t you?" Aethyta snorted. "More important to me than to take care of you? Nah!" Liara shook her head and looked angrily at the human doctor and her father. She did like that they cornered her and she felt distressed. "I'm fine!" The two looked at each other and Aethyta snorted again, but did not give an answer because Liara's news terminal flashed.

She rose with difficulty, turned it on and welcomed Admiral Hackett. "Dr. T'Soni, I must inform you that during the evacuation of some Volus families, before slavers could hit them, an accident happened. Commander Shepard was in a building that was torn apart by an explosion and collapsed. At the moment we are trying to clear everything around the rubble, and they have not found her yet. Our hope is that she fell in one of the tunnels dug by the Volus. I will keep you in the loop." Liara looked at the black screen after the call ended. She had understood the words, but her brain refused even to understand the message.

Aethyta exchanged a very distressed look with the doctor. Both sprang to their feet, as Liara lost consciousness and slipped to the ground, but neither reached her in time.

As Shepard came to her senses again, she was soaked and disoriented. Before her she felt solid ground, but her feet were in ice-cold water, and so she withdrew them to get out of there. She was freezing, her teeth were chattering hard, and she was trembling. Shepard took a few minutes to rally again. The Volus had completely tunneled under their settlement, as they searched for Element Zero and if there was water, there was maybe one way out.

She reached around and found her sniper rifle. She activated it and looked around in the dim light of the torch. She found her gun, but it was broken into many pieces and she only picked up the thermal clips. Shepard looked around. She was in a gigantic cave and she shivered. She was lucky, the fall from the ceiling had to be at least twenty feet and without the water, although cold, she would have been dead. She hoped that her luck would not stop.

Shepard went in circles in order to decide in which direction she wanted to go. Each side of the cave was at least fifty yards wide, but the shape seemed strange, almost too symmetrical for her. She shone with the gun a little higher. About five feet above the ground, there were drawings. They were heavily faded and Shepard could hardly see anything, but her instinct told her that it was something Prothean.

She followed the drawings and entered another large room. The sides had collapsed, but the original circular shape could be guessed. As the light of her torch glided over a few dry bones in the center, she was terrified at first, but then her curiosity won. She recognized that it was not a natural skeleton, but a stone sculpture. The outlines were already heavily weathered, but it was still the statue of a large, dragon-like animal with six legs.

Shepard touched one of the sharp, almost twenty centimeters long teeth and a growl and groan went through the room. Small stones and earth trickled down on the edge of the cave to her right. Shepard touched the tooth again and the grumbling continued, so she just shrugged her shoulders and pulled the tooth completely. When the wall collapsed onto itself, Shepard jumped in the other direction for cover.

Dr. Chakwas saw the blood under Liara. "Shall we bring her to your clinic?" Aethyta stood behind her. "No, there is not enough time. I have almost everything with me." She looked at the matriarch, who was worried. "Bring her up, I'll contact my Mech" Aethyta lifted Liara carefully from the ground. Beneath her was a large amount of blood and the doctor was alarmed. She would now have to act quickly, otherwise they would lose both mother and child. "If Shepard is still alive, I'll kill her," growled Aethyta as she went upstairs. Chakwas shivered because of the cold tone in her voice.

"Commander" Shepard´s communicator crunched and rustled, but she understood Ashley and relief flowed through her. Where the wall had collapsed there had been a secret door, Shepard suspected, and a small hole had opened up. She looked up and saw a worried face.

"You can´t stop with it... Shepard?" Jane thought she had misheard. "Ash?" But this just turned around and talked to Joker. Then she gave James the coordinates so that he could help with heavy equipment.

Joker wiped the sweat from his brow. He had immediately tried to contact Liara, but had only reached matriarch Aethyta. Joker was now talking to Ashley, about whether she should tell Shepard about Liara's state. According to the Matriarch Liara hadn't reacted well to the message from Admiral Hackett and Chakwas was in the middle of an emergency surgery. Aethyta had - in a tone that could freeze hell - suggested that Shepard should move her ass quickly, back to the colony.

"You know, Shepard, I would have never thought of you as a poser, but no, you cannot even retire quietly. No, Commander Shepard goes off with a bang!" Shepard winced through the suppressed anger in Ashley's voice.

"LC? Get me out of here now? "Ashley looked furiously through the hole in the ground. "We should just let you in there." She looked past Shepard. "No, do not say it, you have found a ruin?" Her eyes roamed to the stone sculpture inside. "It just keeps getting better, you know, one can give his wife flowers, too."

Ashley stepped aside to allow James to dig using an atlas. She spoke with Joker and sent for the shuttle. Once Shepard fit with her shoulders through the hole, Ash grabbed her by the collar.

"I would prefer to knock you out, really. That was idiotic Shepard, unnecessary, stupid," she pushed Shepard, who did not really understand what was going on, towards the shuttle. "Ash? Is everything all right?" Ash gave her a cold look and Shepard began to worry. "Did something happen, is Liara well?" Ash squinted. "What do you believe, how do you think she could take the news?" Shepard felt herself getting damp.

"Chakwas is operating on her." Shepard slammed her head against the back of her seat and cursed silently.


	4. Time

Shepard was on the bridge of the Normandy and clung with her hands firmly on her terminal. She was not alone, but she did not notice the other.

Time. Someone once said, time is relative. It can run fast, it can flow, but it can be chewy, extend to infinity. Time passes for each being different but equal to a single endpoint.

For Shepard the time slowed down until it was nothing else like the ticking of a clock.

Tick – _Liara, trapped in a Stasisfield_

Tack -_ Liara, which explain her insecure that she have an interest in her_

Tick - _Liara, which grabbed her by her hand and raised her as she fell, as all others were against her_

Tack –_ Liara, as she comes for the first time at her cabin_

Shepard does not realize that there are tears that drip like the seconds of the clock to the ground. Her eyes are blurred.

The Normandy, however, her ship, the fastest of the fleet feels the sadness, the helplessness of her commander, stretches and fly as fast as never before.

Tick - _Liara on Illium, the sparkle in her eyes_

Tack - _Liaras glance to her promise for "marriage, age, and lots of little blue children"_

The memories draw inexorably, relentlessly past her.

Tears concealed her view, gather on her uniform.

They approached the colony.

Shepard sits in the shuttle, she does not see Ash and James.

The young woman feels no one around her, she is alone.

She runs up the hill to her house.

_She sees Liara, as she plants yellow flowers, such as her mother had loved._

Aethyta stands in the doorway. The eyes of the matriarch shimmering purple, but her look is icy cold. _"Nobody messes with my girl!"_ The threat uttered at the Citadel, it was never as real as in those seconds.

Shepard goes into the house.

_She wears Liara over the threshold. She laughs and says how cliché, but Shepard she spins around and stops her with a kiss._

Much she has experienced, rarely really been scared, but now she's scared.

Slowly, step by step, Shepard goes to the first floor. Time slows down. It may be seconds. For her it feel like hours. Each stage has a different memory.

_The oven explodes, Liaras desperate scream from the kitchen. Her indignant look as Shepard had to laugh at at her sight dusted over with flour._

The door to her bedroom is open.

_Liara takes Shepard's hand, beaming smiles at she says she is pregnant._

The young woman enters the room. She does not see the doctor who´s face is full of concerns next to the bed. She only sees her wife, her lover.

Liara lying on the bed, pale, her body looks too small between the sheets. Her head is turned to the side, the eyes are closed.

Shepard didn´t noticed the doctor which is now standing in front of her.

She feels a touch on her cheek.

"Shepard?" Her eyes dissolve slowly from Liara, her lashes fluttering, she manages barely to concentrate.

"Shepard, you hear me?" The doctor puts her other hand on Shepard's other cheek and turns her head softly to herself. Their eyes meet.

She never had so much fear as for the next few seconds.

The time in between seems endless. She saw the lips of a doctor were moving, but till the words reach her brain, it takes years.

"You must be strong now Shepard."

Time stood still.


	5. Guilt

"Shepard?" Dr. Chakwas waited patiently until the Commander had summoned herself a little. Shepard looked bad. Her uniform was partly torn in pieces, she was dirty and smelly, and her eyes were puffy and red. Dr. Chakwas would not let her go to Liara. Both child and mother were still very weak, and it was a miracle that Liara survived the blood loss.  
"She's dead, isn´t she?" Shepard sounded incredibly weak and tortured; her gaze went back to bed. It was agonizing for Dr. Chakwas to see the young woman so torn on. "Shepard? Look at me." Chakwas continued talking as soon as the commander's attention was focused back on her. "Liara and your daughter are alive, but they are very weak." Shepard went to her knees and bowed her head, overwhelmed by the onslaught of emotions that raged within her. "She sleeps. I have given Liara a strong sedative. Shepard?" The young woman looked up. "I know you want to see her immediately, but ..." Shepard followed the view down to her clothes and nodded. "You'll stay here?," she asked softly and Dr. Chakwas nodded. "I'm not going anywhere."

She pulled off her armor on the way to the shower. The relief rolled over her in waves. Under the warm water, she went again down to her knees and her tears mingled with the water. She soaped herself; the movements were slow, cumbersome. At every bruise or open place she twitched and she had a lot.  
Jane climbed out of the shower, put on a soft sweat suit, tied her hair and went back to the bedroom.

Dr. Chakwas stood in the back corner, in front of the large windows that showed a view of the garden and the setting sun. She waved to her. Shepard felt as if she was running through mud and not across the soft, bright yellow and blue, carpet. She swallowed as she reached Dr. Chakwas. A small Asari, her daughter, barely bigger than her two hands lay on a pillow, enclosed in a quarantine bubble.  
"Tali has sent me one as a visual object for my book. I did not think that I would be that happy to have it." Shepard barely heard the doctor. Her heart beat painfully, as she looked into the small, stressed-looking face of her daughter. She swallowed hard. "Will she die..," she cleared her throat. Dr. Chakwas put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Chances are, she is weak, but she fights, no wonder with who her parents are." Shepard took hissing air. She did not know what to do or say. Without ever having had a family, growing up on the streets, it was all just too much. She looked over at the bed.  
"Liara is not yet out of danger. I would have brought her to my clinic, but there was no time. It was fortunate that the matriarch and I were here." That Liara would have otherwise died stood in huge letters between them, but Chakwas didn´t say it. Shepard shuddered. Deep down, she knew that it was her fault and that there could be no excuse this time. Through her mistakes, her misjudgment of the situation she had hurt the two that she had sworn to protect.  
They suffered because of her.

Dr. Chakwas touched a large bruise on Shepard's cheek and immediately the Commander twitched. "Take off the top; I want to look at your wounds". Shepard did as she was told, she felt too stunned. She opened her Hoodie, let it slide down beside her on the floor, turned and leaned with her hands on the dresser. Dr. Chakwas took a sharp breath. The back of the Commander looked as if it had been whipped. There was no more pink skin; everything shimmered purple, bluish, in places where the skin was chipped red. The water in the shower had dissolved the scabs and small drop of blood gathered a thin trickle to run down her spine. Shepard did not respond. She felt no pain. The storm inside her stunned her completely.

The baby, so small as it was, was also reacting to the pain of her father and began to whimper softly. Liara heard the sound, but she was tired, confused, empathized like she was wrapped in soft cotton. Her eyes did not want to open, but she had to be awake. Why does she felt so weak and why was she laying in a bed?  
The baby whimpered again and everything in Liara drew her to this place. Finally, she managed to open her eyes a slit wide. Was that Jane, who stood with bruised back in front of the doctor? She kept her head down while the doctor put gel on her wounds. It looked awful. Another whimper, why does no one else recognize it? She tried to move, but neither her arms nor legs obeyed her. She tried it with biotics, but nothing happened.

Shepard heard the faint rustling on the bed and immediately her head shot around. She almost knocked out in the motion Dr. Chakwas. She saw at once that Liara was awake, but she could not move. What had she just done to her? What if Liara hated her for that? Dr. Chakwas took a step back and looked at the baby, who was crying quietly. She was still sleeping, but a big tear rolled down her cheek. She turned on the automatic quarantine bubble, which immediately began to vibrate gently and the baby calmed down.

Liara tried to see where Dr. Chakwas was gone, but her muscles didn´t work. She closed her eyes again, as the baby calmed. Why does a baby cry at all, and why did Jane doesn´t come to her? She did not understand. When she opened her eyes again, Jane was gone. Liara only saw Dr. Chakwas, who stood in the door. She looked at Liara. In her big blue eyes tears began to gather. The doctor felt that here was something very wrong. So she went to Liara and spoke softly with her.

Shepard would have run, if she could, but her legs refused to obey her. As the look in Liaras eyes broke, she had been completely overwhelmed. Liara had to hate her, after all her experiences, she had not been there. She had left Liara alone, almost killed. Blind she rushed past James and Ashley, who were waiting at the foot of the stairs and crashed into the big, hard body of the matriarch.

Aethyta grabbed the Commander and let her head crashing slam against Shepard. "Wow," James was surprised and Ashley ran to the side of her friend. "Now is not the time to jog around half naked," growled the matriarch to Shepard and held firmly by the shoulders. "Let me go!" Shepard squirmed under the grab, but could not do anything against the Asari. "Or else what? Do you want to run to death? Do you think that will help Liara?" Her voice was icy and she looked like she was going to give Jane another head butt, but James intervened. "I do not think that Shepard survived it," he said, holding his arm tightly wrapped around the neck of the Asari.

Aethyta could have James shaken off without any problems, but when she looked at the tortured figure in her hands, she knew he was right. She also did not believe that Liara would be happy if she would kill Shepard, tempting as the thought might be during those seconds. Shepard seemed already to have handled this very well by herself.

Shepard felt that Ashley put her jacket over her shoulder and shivered as the fabric touched the now sensitive wounds. She stood between the three of them and simply did not know what to do. She remembered the look in Liaras eyes, before Liara had closed them again. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this. She was relentless, fearless in battle, but feelings were still a very slippery slope. She almost wished Aethyta would send her into the land of dreams.  
The matriarch let her go and James shook Shepard. "Lola, are you now completely loco? You should be up there!" James asked her confused. Shepard looked tortured upstairs. She was scared. Liara would never make it a reproach, but Shepard would read it in her eyes. She would feel it whenever she looked at the child, her daughter.  
Aethyta who was actually holding Shepard saw Shepard's internal conflict and knew where this would lead . "Liara is weak, confused and needs you now. Talk later, but now go up there and be there for her!" She turned the young woman and pushed her toward the stairs.

When Shepard was out of sight and Dr. Chakwas joined them, Aethyta went into the kitchen, rummaged in the cupboards and snorted indignantly. "I need a drink," she put a few bottles of wine on the table. "Not exactly what I need, but that will do it." James and Ash joined her. Dr. Chakwas only sipped a glass. Her bones were longing for a fine brandy, but as the only doctor around she had to keep a clear head.

Liara awoke a few hours later. She did no longer felt like wrapped in cotton, but now she felt the pain. Anything hurt, but concentrated mostly in her abdomen. The doctor had told her what had happened and that her daughter was fine, but she needed to rest and could not leave the quarantine unit.  
Liara looked around; Shepard was not beside her in bed. She had been crouching in a corner of the bedroom under a thin blanket and stared wide-eyed into space. Liaras heart broke, she needed her so much now, but could not get up and Shepard did not seem to want to be with her. Tears ran down her cheeks, they were so close, finally a family, but it could also lay worlds between them.


	6. Dispair

Shepard watched over Liara and the baby. Her baby, an idea that she did not really want to adjust too. During pregnancy, it had seemed so easy, but now? Shepard knew that Liara was awake and crying, but she could not get up, could not comfort her. She just didn't know how. As she thought about her life and her past she felt that she had not earned that. Liara wept herself quietly to sleep and Shepard felt every sob like the sting of a knife directly cutting through her heart. She waited a moment until she was sure that Liara was deeply asleep, got up slowly and walked down to the kitchen.

Shepard cleared away the bottles of wine and looked over to the living room, except for Dr. Chakwas, who slept on the big couch, no one was there. Shepard felt an infinite gratitude to the doctor.  
She let her sleep and went back into the kitchen. It was daybreak and breakfast should be ready, if Liara wanted to eat something. She made the sweet Asari tea and then waited till the fruit thawed for the yogurt. Shepard thought that she had no idea what the doctor was eating in the morning, even though they knew each other for so long.  
"Shepard?" She turned to Dr. Chakwas and smiled at her. "Morning Karin, coffee or would you rather drink some tea?" She showed the variety, but the doctor's face twisted slightly. "Put this Asari-concoction away... it stuck when swallowing. Coffee, black please." Shepard poured her a cup and also one for herself.  
"Liara is still asleep." She said lamely, avoiding the gaze of the doctor. "Did you talk to her?" Shepard shook her head. "Shepard. I know this is hard for someone with your past, but you have to talk to her about it." Jane took tormented in the air, "I just do not know how."

Liara woke up because sun rays were shining on her face. She felt like after a Mako - ride with Jane, everything hurt. She tried to sit up carefully and this time she succeeded. She wanted to get up; she had to, because everything draws her to her baby. Slowly, she slid to the edge of the bed, took her robe which was lying there and rose. The floor swayed menacingly and she had to hold on to the bed for a moment, but then she had a good feeling she let go slowly. Her heart beat fast when she saw the little Asari. It has a thumb in her mouth and was sleeping. Liara smiled her daughter, and every fiber in her screamed to protect her. She leaned her forehead against the protective shell of the bubble and sent a prayer to the goddess.  
She went away, still smiling, as her stomach crumbled. She had not eaten for over twenty-four hours and even if she was not awake most of the time, her body had been through a lot. Liara left the bedroom, threw back a glance and walked to the edge of the stairs. Frustrated, she looked at the many steps. The staircase was created flat and connected the two floors in a gently curved semi-circle, but because of that it doubled the number of stages. From an early age she had been ingrained; Biotics is a tool and not meant to make your life easier. She decided that this was an emergency and created biotic wave so she could slowly get down.  
She heard Jane and the Doctor in the kitchen. "How can I explain that to her, doctor?" Shepard wanted to say something more, but saw Liara, who stood pale in the hallway. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was a little gruff and Liara winced. "I live here," she replied offended, "and I was hungry," she continued, a little milder. Shepard rushed to her, picked her up and carried her to one of the chairs. Then she put the cup yogurt with half of thawed fruit before Liara, plus a large cup of her favorite tea. Liara wanted to thank her, but Shepard's gaze was strangely cold and distant.  
"Just some scans and then I´ll see after your daughter. Do you have decided on a name yet?" Dr. Chakwas could have puked into a hornet's nest; she thought a moment later after seeing the way Liara and Shepard were acting. Liara lowered her head and Shepard looked like she was going to shoot something. "We thought there would be more time," finally Liara said. "Well, do not worry. You are doing well my dear, but you should immediately get back into bed." She nodded at Shepard and left them back in the kitchen. She could not remember ever having seen Shepard repellent and aloof near the Asari.

Liara ate her favorite breakfast, even if it tasted like cardboard for her. There was nothing wrong with it, Jane had it done it the way she liked it. It was the silence between them. Jane was leaning against the cupboard in her typical position. She had crossed her ankles and her arms were folded as she was looking out the window into the garden.  
"Will you tell me what happened?" Liara asked softly. She was afraid, Shepard would not answer her. "I was careless," she began nearly with a whisper. Liara paused her, "you?" she asked and Shepard only nodded, her eyes went over the lake and she absently rubbed her hand over her chin. "The situation was cleared, but one of Volus woman couldn´t find her daughter." Jane sighed deeply. "I sent the shuttle away and went into the building to search for her." Shepard shook her head slightly. "I found her, she was dead, and the small body was pierced by one of the roof beams, the suit torn completely." Liara pushed away her bowl because she felt her stomach wasn´t able to hold the food. Then looked at the ceiling and shuddered. "Then I saw the bomb, it counted down slowly. I turned and ran, but through the large amount of tunnels the ground was unstable and collapsed under me." She looked Liara for a second in the eyes.  
"It was tight and I had no radio contact with the team, and then the ground opened again and I fell almost twenty feet in an underground lake." Liara could feel how the food in her stomach turned and stifled a gag. "I found myself again in a cave," she laughed softly, bitterly, "surprise, it was a Prothean ruin." She showed Liara the scans she had taken with her Omni tool. Liara tilted her head and smiled, but Shepard's gaze remained absent. The picture changed and she showed her a large stone statue. Much was in the shadows, but Liara knew it. "A Kalikosaurus," she said, amused. "What? That's what they look like?" Shepard shuddered. "When I moved one of the teeth there was an opening in the floor and I could reach the landing party."  
Liara shook her head. "You're impossible; you always come back with something prothean, if you think I would get upset." She gave her voice a seductive, smoky sound, but Shepard did not even seem to notice. "Ashley said such a thing, she said, you can also give flowers to your wife! She was very angry." Liara could easily imagine that. Ashley was a human for which family meant everything.  
"Are you finished?" Shepard looked at the table where Liara pushed her cup and only over the table between her hands. She grabbed it, drank and nodded. "Well," Shepard went to her and lifted her into the arms. "I can walk!" Liara protested, but Jane ignored the objection and carried her upstairs, where she placed her beside Dr. Chakwas on the floor. Liara would rather burst into tears, but not in front of the doctor.

Shepard looked at the two women and felt completely out of place. Dr. Chakwas lifted the baby out of the unit and put it into the arms of Liara. Liara turned smiling at Jane, but Jane looked away. Dr. Chakwas wanted to slap her when she saw the suppressed tears in the eyes of the Asari. She waited until Liara had nursed the girl and put it back for another scan.  
"Everything looks good. Liara, you should lie down now. I see you again this afternoon, but if there is anything, just call." Shepard nodded and brought the doctor to the door. She ran her right hand through her hair and thanked her. "Do talk with Liara," the doctor urged her, but Shepard looked away.

After two more days Liara was on end with her nerves. It was not that Jane did not care for her, she could not ask for better treatment. Jane was there for her, foresaw what she needed. But she did not look at her daughter, yet she touched the girl or herself and Jane did not even sleep in their bed. She did not want disturb her, was the mumbled response as she asked Jane to join her. She slept no longer on the floor though, but had got one of the chairs up.

Liara was hurt, but she could not go on like this. On the morning of the third day, Shepard had brought her just the breakfast in bed, she made up her mind. Jane turned and walked back to the door.

"Shepard?" She looked back, but her eyes were lowered. "I do not know what your problem is," Liara began softly but firmly, "but you need to talk to me about it." Shepard shook her head and turned to leave. "You're talking either with me or you disappear." Snarled Liara. "I do not need a Mech who takes care of me, I need my bondmate," she added, almost pleadingly. Shepard hesitated, and then through her body rushed a trembling. She looked up and saw Liara for the first time in days in the eyes.


	7. Past

Shepard shuddered. How could she explain what was going through her head to Liara? Liara had grown up sheltered and loved. She had always been surrounded by people that cared for her. But herself? Jane looked at her hands; saw the blood in so many different colors. Her hands were bathed in it; it was so much that she could never wash it off. Blood on her hands, and all she could think since some days ago was how these hands shouldn't touch something so tender, as innocent as her daughter?

Liara felt her partner's inner struggle. She got out of bed and went to her, grabbed Shepard's hands. She almost expected, Shepard would escape her. "Jane? What's wrong with you?" Jane hung her head and Liara went a little in her knees, to look up and keep eye contact. "I cannot talk about it." Liara had almost cried in frustration, but Shepard continued softly. "But is it possible that I'll show you?" She took a deep breath, "Just as you showed me your memories?"

Liara felt what it cost Shepard to ask her this. "Yes it is. I can see your memories, if you let me. Should I call Dr. Chakwas so she looks after our daughter?" Shepard nodded. It rumbled in her, but she did not want to lose Liara. What if she did not understand or was disgusted? Shepard gathered herself. She would have to trust Liara in this matter.

The doctor came quickly. Liara told her that they wanted to speak at last and needed a little time for themselves. A meld wouldn´t take long, but she could not predict in what state Shepard would be after it.

Liara took Jane's hand and walked with her to the first floor. She pressed her gently down on the sofa and sat down next to her. Such an expression of despair she had never seen in Shepard's eyes. "Are you sure?" All in Shepard screamed no, but she could not find the words to say it. "I want you to see it," she said haltingly. Liara steeled herself. About Shepard's past – everything prior to the military - , there was only a little information and she had respected her wife's privacy too much to dig herself. Jane never spoke of that time and her memories were completely isolated.  
"Close your eyes," Jane and did as they leaned their foreheads against each other. "Embrace eternity."

_Liara blinked, looked around and did not understand exactly where she was. The room in which she was was completely gray and the sides were three bunk beds. On each were a thin white blanket and a small pillow. The sides of the beds were bars and at the individual rods peeling paint, causing the rust seemed to pass. Liara walked across the room and stopped in front of the window. The memory does not allow her to see what was happening outside, but the window was small, dirty and sticky, like everything in the room.  
Her eyes slid over the beds until she discovered in the back corner a little, maybe three year old girl. Whose black hair was cropped short. Her bright green eyes were too big in the small, thin face. Liara would have almost not recognized Shepard. It was the look in her eyes that reminded her of the later Commander. The girl was holding a gray-brown plush toy in the hands, pressed it to herself, rocking gently back and forth. Liara could not tell what it was. She only felt that it was important to the child.  
The door opened abruptly and a large, compactly built woman with a broad face, light brown hair and greasy fingers came into the room. Liara felt the wave of fear that went through Jane over to her. She wanted to hide, but she was too small. The woman grabbed the child roughly by the shoulder. "You should play outside." Then she took her away the stuffed animal and pulled her through the door.  
_

_The memory changed. Shepard was three or four years older, saw Liara. They were in a vehicle whose windows were blacked out. Many children sat in a row, but it was quiet. They did not, as usually kids would to, talk to each other. Liara looked at the girl again. The black hair was now longer and tied back in a ponytail. Her face looked hollow, cheekbones and chin were too pointed and the eyes were huge in the small face. In addition, Shepard, like the other children was also terribly dirty.  
The vehicle stopped and the children got out. They stood in front of a large building, whose purpose revealed itself not Liara. It was gray, everything was gray, but that could be due to the memories. Not a bit of color. By the fear she felt she expected nothing happy here. The children were herded into the building. Jane rushed, as one of the boys tripped her and she screamed in fright. Then someone grabbed her roughly by the hair and put her back on her feet. The extra pain was so unexpected that it drove her to tears and she began to struggle.  
"So you rat want to bite me?" The woman, more Liara could not tell, shook the girl and threw her back on the road. Liara felt by Jane as her skin through the rough stones scratches. More tears came to her eyes, but the girl got up and ran in the other direction away.  
_

_In Jane's next memory it was winter. The snow was piled high in the streets and Liara was freezing. She wrapped arms frantically around herself, but she could not warm herself. She put one foot before the other, followed Jane wherever she wanted to go. Shepard was now ten and it was a miracle to Liara how she was able to survive till now. Jane went to an old, crooked warehouse in a secluded side street. The exterior walls were covered with a layer of snow and ice. She looked around warily before she pushed a few rotten planks on the side and climbed into the interior. Even there it was freezing, but at least the cutting wind had stopped.  
Jane had joined a gang of other street kids. All children who had slipped through the system and no one was missed. They were always hungry, and now in the winter it was especially bad. Jane was still very small, a consequence of the few and irregular food, but she was wiry and stronger than she looked. That brought her a certain reputation, and the older kids left in peace, they harassed rather the younger ones. Jane got out of her pockets something to eat. They shared it and then sat close together for warmth. Liara felt that after the meager meal her stomach growled and that she still wasn´t warm.  
_

_The short memory of a night in winter flashed up. Jane slept. A few days earlier she had got in a burglary a winter coat and now she snuggled deep into this. Liara felt the warmth and the good feeling of something soft to be surrounded by. Then a kick woke her up. About her was a red-headed, poisonous-looking girl. Jane barely knew her; she was new to the gang and tried to fight for a place through sheer brutality.  
Jane lay there quiet and tucked away the second kick. She waited a moment longer, and when the older girl leaned over her, she lunged forward and struck her with her fists in her face. It was a dirty fight, but in the end Jane was breathing heavily, but with a slight smile on her. Liara watched her as her gaze went on her hands. She opened and closed her fists, over and over again, while red blood dripped onto the floor.  
_

_Liara was swept away, as another memory opened before her. Jane was much older, sixteen or seventeen. She walked along the narrow gutter drains. Beside her, flowed an indefinable broth from which a bestial stench went out, but Jane did not notice it. She did not even bother on the rats in the __countless niches of broken out stones that was staring out of huge, bright yellow eyes. She followed a way which would bring her away from the slums directly to the city.  
The risk to get caught by the police in the city was high, but she had to risk it. For several years now, the government began systematically to clean the streets. The old buildings, often together with their occupants were blown up just to make room for new, inspired by alien's architecture, buildings. Shepard had no eye for the shiny towering buildings. She aspired to one of the side streets. From the corner of her eye she noticed a middle-aged man who telephoned. Jane wanted to take the chance. She was hungry, after three days with nothing real to eat. It was a perfect opportunity to get on a few credits.  
She bumped him and was completely surprised by his reaction. He turned around and pressed her hard against a house wall. "Well what do we have here ... a rat," he asked lewd and frisk her. Liara felt the horror, but also the rage of the young woman. She squirmed, but he was strong and held her clasped, while he tried to open his pants. "I suppose you think you can steal from me, I will show you your place!" When he tried to turn her to the wall, but he loosened his grip for a moment. Jane took the opportunity. He held her upper body, but she could kick with both feet. He doubled over, grabbed her rough by the hair and tried to get her back in his grip.  
Jane's street training paid off. She writhed like a snake, hit and kicked him and when she was done, the man was on the floor. In his own blood. Jane shivered. Again she looked at her hands and saw the blood drip down.  
_

_Liara followed Jane, as she was pushed roughly into a cell. The heavy doors closed in an ominous sound. Liara watched Shepard, imprisoned on a few meters, as she walked up and down. She looked at every inch of the walls, the door. Liara felt the restlessness and uncertainty in her burn.  
"Send her in one of the colonies," sounded the deep, gruff baritone of a man. "These rats do not deserve better and we save us the paperwork." Liara looked at Jane, she saw the horror. Stories were told among the children. Once in a colony one often ended at the slave market.  
She ran her fingers through her hair nervously and down her chin. "It is my paperwork and all I want to do is talk to her first," sounded surprisingly soft voice of a woman. "The camera shows, she defended herself." The man snorted, his disgust was clearly heard. "She wanted to attack him, which court should the state hold?" A chair was pushed back, and Jane heard fast footsteps that sounded loudly in the hallway. The door opened and a young woman appeared in the typical black uniform of the police. Their eyes met, caught on a moment and then nodded. "You´re going to make trouble?" Jane was not fooled. Under the soft facade flashed icy steel. She just shook her head. "Well, then come with me."  
Jane does not even think about that she could get out. She had given her word and that was binding for her. Only thus was it that´s made it possible for her to survive that long. Liara followed them. She knew that this must have been one of the key moments in Shepard's life that something important was happening.  
The police officer pointed to a chair and Jane sat down. She shifted uncomfortably, but then leaned back and crossed her legs. "You were lucky, a camera recorded the scene and the man is in the hospital. He will survive and refrains from a display." Jane was overwhelmed by relief. "But you are not registered and the scanner shows that you are a minor, I cannot let you go." The woman leaned back and Liara could see her through Jane's eyes. She was not tall, but she was wiry. She had short brown hair, a pointed face. It was her eyes that fascinated her. They looked great in her face and the iris was brown with yellow speckles. Jane's eyes remained attached to the black uniform. Dhalia Mendess stood on her name tag.  
"You now have three options. Firstly, I contact the youth welfare office and you walk up to your 18th Birthday in a home. Secondly, you fly to one of the colonies, work and you can build a new life there. Thirdly, you decide to join the alliance. There is a new program for young people like you. It's a tough, relentless training, but they will give you the best ways to get out of this quagmire."  
__  
The memory became blurry again. Liara looked on as Jane was boarding an Alliance Shuttle. She looked better, after a night full sleep and a good hot meal. The look in her green eyes was awake. She was looking for someone in the crowd and when she spotted the police officer, she saluted quickly. Then she turned around and sat down on her place with the other recruits._

Liara finished smoothly the connecting of their thoughts and felt the tremor that went through Jane.

As Shepard opened her eyes her gaze met Liara's warm, blue eyes, which shone like a clear lake in the sun. She was prepared to see contempt or pity, but she saw only love and understanding. Shepard was overwhelmed and turned her head slightly to the side, but Liara would not let her. She included Shepard's chin and gently held it.  
"You have achieved something that very few would have done in your situation," she began softly. "You survived, are not broken, but grown." She let go of Shepard's chin, grabbed her hands and turned them with the palm up. "We all have blood on our hands Jane, but your hands have saved us all. Without these hands, there would be no future for our daughter."  
Shepard's cheeks were wet, but it was not Liara's tears, only her own. She pushed in Liaras hug and allowed herself finally to mourn over the little girl that she had once been.  
Liara gave Jane quietly and mumbling soothing words. Finally she had an idea of what she went through in the last days. When she felt that Shepard was no longer strong shaking in her arms she pulled away gently. She gave Jane a kiss on the cheek before she got up. She knew what Shepard needed now and rushed to the first floor, where she ignored Dr. Chakwas. Liara took her daughter, who had become much stronger in the past few days and went back to her bondmate.

Jane stood in front of the sofa. Head down, she looked at her hands. When she heard the soft gurgle of the baby, she looked up. Her eyes met with Liara's and for the first time she really saw the baby. Liara put her daughter in Jane's hands and then practiced some pressure on her arm until the child finally rested on her shoulder.  
A quake went through Jane. This felt right. Their eyes met and as Shepard smiled down the baby the knot of fear in Liara finally eased.  
"We should call her Dahlia," Liara finally broke the silence. Jane looked up. "I still do not know why you do not want to call her after your mother?" Liara shook her head. This topic had often come up at the beginning of pregnancy, but Liara did not feel comfortable with it. She had loved her mother, but her feelings were still too contradictory.  
"Jane, you know why." She put an arm around Shepard and the other hand under the baby. "Are you sure?" Liara nodded, she could not imagine a better name than that of the woman who had saved Shepard and gave her life a direction.

Dr. Chakwas was in the garden and watched as Liara bent to Shepard and their lips met. They seemed happy and at last she was able to breathe and stretch her weary bones. "Ah finally, the children come to mind," it sounded suddenly behind her, Karen jumped in fright almost in the air, "I had thought I would have to warp Shepard's head!"  
Aethyta put a hand on the human doctor's shoulder. "Come Karin, I have exactly what you need right now." The doctor gave her a suspicious look from the side. Aethyta laughed and gave her a slap on the butt. "No sex, honey, I've just cleaned the bar." She giggled, "But a nice Ice Brandy."


End file.
